Cbe Battalion
Vol. 68 No. 94 College Station, Texas , Thursday, March 27, 1975
Inside
Alcoholism p. 3
Election section p. 5
Baseball p. 10
SG to decide
s/y/S'
services fees
Athletic budget— msc
bargain or ripoff? rec l uest
tonight
• ■
OPAS presents Alicia de Larrocha
Photo by Jack Holm
OPAS and Town Hall presented Alicia de Larrocha
in the Rudder Auditorium Wednesday night. De
Larrocha performed two encores to the delight of the
audience after her program of Romantic music.
Legislature retains speed limit
Fears losing $453 million in highway funds
mediate effect.
Senators also agreed to allow in
surance agents to charge up to 18
per cent a year on money they loan
clients to buy insurance policies.
Sen. A. M. Aikin Jr., D-Paris,
protested that Texas roads are built
for 70 m.p.h. and highway patrol
men are writing 60,000 speeding
AUSTIN, Tex. (AP) — Legis
lators gave in to financial pressure
Wednesday, extending Texas’ 55
mile an hour speed limit rather than
risk losing $453 million in federal
highway funds.
The House vote was 126-19 and
the Senate 26-5, large enough ma
jorities to put the bill into im-
Tax cuts
Congress sends new biil to Ford
tickets a month. “That shows how
much respect they have for it,”
Aiken said of Texas motorists.
“I’m not going to have the federal
government come down here and
browbeat us,” said Aikin.
“The question may be, ‘Do we
want federal money?’ But now is not
the time to decide it,” said the spon-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Con
gress passed, Wednesday night,
and sent to President Ford a
$24.8-billion antirecession tax cut
package that includes rebate checks
and tax reductions for virtually all
Americans.
The Senate approved the meas
ure by a vote of 45 to 16.
Although Ford has expressed ob
jections to several provisions of the
far-reaching bill, congressional
leaders predicted he will sign it
rather than delay even further the
economic stimulus Ford says is
needed to end the recession.
Before passing the legislation 287
to 125, the House rejected a Repub
lican motion to send the package
back to conference, which would
have provided an opportunity to
argue for eliminating sections which
Ford considers objectionable.
Republican leaders said be
forehand that the vote on this re
commit motion was important be
cause it could determine whether
the bill would be vetoed by the
President. The motion failed, 197 to
214, but the margin was far short of
the two-thirds needed to override a
veto.
The compromise legislation, ap
proved earlier in the day by a
Senate-House conference commit
tee, is designed to stimulate the
economy by putting extra money
into the pockets of most Americans
within weeks.
A major provision of the bill pro
vides for rebates of 1974 income
taxes averaging 10 per cent of taxes
paid, up to a maximum rebate of
$200. The bill also calls for a $30 tax
credit on 1975 income for every tax
payer and for each member of his
family.
These reductions would mean a
reduction of at least $220 in 1974
and 1975 taxes for every family of
four in the United States.
Earlier, GOP congressional lead
ers who met with Ford shortly after
the conferees finished their work
said Ford did not indicate whether
he would veto the bill.
However, several of the Republi
cans said they would vote against
the bill and at least two of them —
Sens. Paul Fannin of Arizona and
John Tower of Texas — said they
would support a presidential veto.
White House Press Secretary
Ron Nessen said Ford expressed
dismay during the meeting with
GOP leaders over “astronomical
spending proposals moving through
Congress.” He said Ford “has to
weigh the tax cut bill against these
oncoming spending proposals.”
Nessen said Ford would not de
cide whether to veto the bill “for at
least several days.”
Democratic leaders scoffed at the
idea of a veto.
Other major provisions of the bill
include:
— Repeal of the oil depletion al
lowance for major oil companies.
The allowance would be retained
under certain conditions for the
10,000 independent producers who
drill 80 per cent of the nation’s oil
and gas wells.
— An increase in standard deduc
tions, the amount subtracted from
gross income by persons who do not
itemize their deductions. The
minimum standard deduction
would be increased to $1,600 for
single persons and $1,900 for mar
ried couples filing joint returns. It
currently is $1,300 for both. The
maximum standard deduction
would be increased to 16 per cent of
gross income, up to a maximum of
$2,300 for single persons and $2,600
for couples. The current deduction
is 15 per cent of gross income, with a
maximum of $2,000.
F / £
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Photo by Steve McGown
Loloma ends TAMU visit
Hopi jeweler Charles Loloma ended three days of Forum. In Loloma’s visit, he demonstrated tech-
lecture-demonstrations at A&M Wednesday with niques he uses in making Indian jewelry,
an arts and crafts workshop in the Rudder
sor. Sen. Bill Meier, D-Euless,
aware that the current 55 m.p.h.
limit expires next Tuesday.
A handful of West Texas conser
vatives again urged the House to
give the bill less than 100 votes so it
would not become law until Sept. 1,
but they were unsuccessful.
In addition to the federal alloca
tion of $303 million to Texas for two
years starting June 30, assistant
state highway engineer Marcus
Yancey Jr. noted in a letter to Rep.
Jon Newton, D-Beeville, that the
Sept. 1 date would prevent the state
from receiving $150 million in re
cently unfrozen federal funds.
If the funds are not spent by June
30, they will be lost completely,
Yancey said.
On the interest rate on insurance
policies. Sens. Bob Gammage of
Houston, Mike McKinnon of Cor
pus Christi and Meier went along
with 18 others to give the sponsor.
Sen. Grant Jones, D-Abilene, the
bare minimum of 21 votes to debate
the measure.
The trio then voted against the
bill, which was sent to the House,
18-13.
University
health fee
separated
AUSTIN (AP) — Despite opposi
tion by student body presidents
from various Texas colleges, the Se
nate Education Committee ap
proved a bill Wednesday allowing
for the collection of student medical
service fees.
The committee also heard tes
timony on a measure by Sen. Bob
Gammage, D-Houston, to insure
that each governing board of state
colleges and universities has at least
one member who is a student at the
time of his appointment.
Tbe medical services fee bill,
sponsored by Sen. Pete Snelson,
D-Midland, would permit the gov
erning board of a state college or
university to collect $15 a semester
to pay for doctor’s fees and medical
treatment.
Quincy Ollison, student body
president at North Texas State Uni
versity in Denton, said he was op
posed to Snelson’s bill because he
was against any additional fees and
lack of student participation in set
ting or handling the fees.
Snelson said he did not intend to
impose anything on students they
did not want, but he added that “I
can’t deny the students who need
proper health care. ”
Speaking in opposition to
Gammage’s bill, Frank Erwin said it
would be difficult to appoint a
regent-student who would be rep
resentative of all 12 branches of the
University of Texas system.
“A better way to handle the prob
lem would be to have a regent, who
would not have to be a student,
under age 25 and maybe another
under age 30,’ said Erwin, a former
UT regent and now lobbyist for the
group.
By JERRY GEARY
Staff Writer
It’s budget approval time again,
and you may be able to hear the
muffled cries of “Riffity-riffity, riff
raff. . .” from the Athletic Business
Office of Wally Groff, who is un
happy with the $130,000 budget
slash that is being recommended.
Assistant athletic director for bus
iness affairs, Groff says that TAMU
students “are getting a tremendous
bargain’ in athletic events by com
parison with other schools.
“Last year the Athletic Depart
ment received $9.63 per student
from student services fees while our
competitors are receiving $12-16
from each of their students,” says
Groff.
This year the Athletic Depart
ment requested $219,000 from ser
vices fees to be used for non
revenue sports such as baseball,
golf, swimming, tennis, track and
women’s sports. Another $140,000
was asked for season ticket passes to
home football games.
“The reason for the increase was
women’s s^ports which wasn’t the ob
ligation of the Athletic Depart
ment,” commented Groff.
While women’s athletics is
budgeted at $104,000, non-revenue
sports operations cost between
$250,000-270,000 but only
$120,000 is being recommended for
these events.
In order to pay for these athletic
programs, surplus football revenue
must be used.
Much controversy centers
around the proposed user fee. Groff
says that this charge was recom
mended by students in order to
make payment to the football prog
ram optional.
Under this proposal, everyone
would have the option to purchase a
season ticket pass to all football
games for $10 or be charged $2.50
for each individual game.
Groffs only comment on this re
commendation is that an individual
who doesn’t buy the Season pass
should have to pay more (around
$3.50) for a ticket.
“I just can’t quite agree with the
figures they gave us,” Groff said.
On the other side of the coin.
Curt Marsh feels that the Athletic
Department is receiving more than
its share of student fees.
“Last year we supported 12 per
cent and this year with $270,000 we
are supporting 14 per cent of their
entire budget,” says Marsh.
Marsh commented that with an
estimated enrollment increase of 15
per cent, the Athletic Department
will make more than $150,000 in
season ticket football passes.
“I’ll make a dollar bet with any
body that the way the proposal is set
up, they’ll make more than their
$270,000,” said Marsh, confidently.
Marsh said that the Athletic De
partment is operating on a profit and
that appropriating more money for
their use won’t make a bit of differ
ence — they 11 only be deeper in die
black.
“My job is to get the students the
best deal for the lowest price,”
Marsh said.
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
Approved Last Year $215,000
Requested This Year $359,000
(219,000
+ 140,000
User fee)
Recommended This Year $270,000
(120,000
+ 150,000
User fee)
wm
By DON MIDDLETON
Staff Writer
The Student Senate will hear re
commendations for student services
fees budgets tonight including MSG
Student Programs, Great Issues
Committee and Political Forum.
MSG Student Programs, consist
ing of the Student Program Office,
Student “Y” and the Director of
Student Activities, requested
$391,311, an increase of $88,466
over the 1974-75 budget.
Much of the increase came in
salaries for non-student workers and
other wages. Other increases were
due to expanded services such as
the Arts and Crafts Center
The Political Forum committee
requested $12,926 of Student Ser
vices fees, a net decrease of $9 from
last year’s budget. The decrease is
due in part to the elimination of
$425 allocated for meals, pending a
ruling by Dr. John Koldus, vice
president for Student Services, on
the legality of using student money
on food said John Oeffinger,
chairman-elect of Political Forum.
Great Issues also decreased their
budget request, asking for $16,200
as opposed to a $16,250 budget in
’74-’75. Deletion of funds for meals
offset a $1,600 increase in profes
sional fees and other increases.
MSC
Approved Last Year
MSC Student Programs $302,395
Great Issues 16,250
Political Forum 12,935
Requested This Year
$391,311
16,200
12,926
Recommended This Year $342,500
16,200
12,926
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Guard-rail for safety
Photo by Alan Killingsworth
After a car lost control and crashed into
the 420th Engineering Brigade Building
at Easterwood airport several weeks ago,
the Highway Dept, has installed a guard
rail in front of the building to prevent simi
lar accidents in the future. Melvin Doss
(pictured above), is attaching reflectors
to a direction sign.